


Wrong Side of Heaven

by KyaFalcone



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, I don't even know if this will continue, It's been in my head for weeks though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 09:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14566194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyaFalcone/pseuds/KyaFalcone
Summary: When you spend so long in a place doing almost the same things day after day, year after year, life after life, it’s no wonder she couldn’t remember her name.  Or most of her life before this.  She knew two facts.  One: she is a she.  Two: her cousin used to play video games, particularly ones named ‘Naruto.’  She thought she knew a few different things.  One: she probably died to get here.  Two: ‘Here’ was probably purgatory.  Three: She was probably not getting out of here.At least, not without winning this stupid game.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The bunny would not leave me alone. So here's the first three (3!!) chapters of this really strange AU fix-it idea I had. I honestly hate writing fanfic for myself. I thrive on knowing others enjoy what I write. Mostly because after rereading the same thing twenty times, it no long interests me.
> 
> So! If you enjoy, send me some kudos or comments~

**Congragulations for completing Shinobi Way: Will of Fire Story Mode.  Customization is now available.**

**Would you like to play again?**

**Y/N?**

Finally, she thought.  It had taken forever to get through the first game.  She died countless times.  Always returning to this weird place and screen.  She honestly didn’t know how long she had been doing this, ‘playing’ this game.  This game that wasn’t really a game.  It couldn’t be.

At first she thought she was dreaming or in a coma.  Now she had no clue.  The best idea she had was that she died.  And was now in this limbo place where she died over and over again.

She gave herself one goal after the first ‘game failure,’ get to custom mode.  It was a silly kind of goal.  She died so often in this weird purgatory.  She died as all of the unlocked story characters.  And now she could create her own person.  She could be who she wanted to be.  And after going through the game as shinobi time after time, she hoped to be able to be normal, even in this weird shinobi/game world.

“Let’s play,” she stated to the green text.

**Story Characters:**

**?**

**Yamanaka Ino**

**Uzumaki Naruto**

**?**

**Uchiha Sasuke**

**Tenten**

**?**

**Rock Lee**

**Nara Shikamaru**

**Inuzuka Kiba**

**Hyūga Neji**

**Hyūga Hinata**

**?**

**Haruno Sakura**

**Akimichi Chouji**

**Aburame Shino**

**-or-**

**Custom Mode**

 Looking at the list, she felt some accomplishment.  Team Gai, as they were known in the game, were all unlocked characters she got through getting certain accomplishments.  Beating Neji as Hinata in the Chunin Exams.  Beating Lee as Sasuke right before the Exams.  Turning Sakura, Hinata, and Ino into weapon-mistresses before the Exams.

It all came back to those stupid Exams.  The Exams were like the actual start of the game.  Everything before is training, the tutorial.  It had taken her a lot of starts to figure that out.  Since she had just started with the first option she recognized, Naruto.  She knew it was a show, a comic book thing.  Her cousin watched it and had a lot of the video games based on the show.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had some extra hurdles before the Exams.  She had originally stuck with those three after the first try.  She died a lot.  Surprisingly, she finally won the game with Hinata.  It was probably just luck, but it was nice to have finally won.  And with a female character.  She had to get through to the Exams, then the two year span of random missions, then survive the Atatsuki, then figure out the mystery of Madara (which she finally realized changed with each decision she made in the game), then survive the rabbit goddess and aliens.

She sometimes wondered how long she had been here.  She had failed before and during the Exams enough times to probably fill several decades.  With the two year ‘profession training’ period, that rose even higher.  Hell, figuring out _Madara_ probably added decades to the time she spent here. 

It felt like eternity.

Which probably explained her theory of this being limbo or purgatory.  And her want of the custom mode.  Which she had finally gotten.

**Custom Mode Engaged**

 

**Shinobi Clan or Civilian Clan?**

Civilian.  It would be easier to be normal as a civilian.  No pressure to be a shinobi.

**Point Distribution**

50 **Attribute** **Points**

**Strength 0 >**

**Vitality 0 >**

**Dexterity 0 >**

**Intelligence 0 >**

**Wisdom 0 >**

**Charisma 0 >**

Having played for so long, she already knew what attribute did what.  Strength and Vitality made up Health.  Intelligence determined chakra.  Wisdom: Chakra Control.  Dexterity had influence on speed.  Finally, Charisma helped with Reputation and purchases.

Naruto had ended up having a bunch of penalties toward Reputation which had made him the hardest to play.  She was pretty sure winning with him would be her next goal, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to try it.

Ino and Sakura had ‘fangirl’ statuses at the beginning that hurt their gains and base Intelligence.  Hinata did too with her personality status, but that was combatable with the Perks she got when starting.  Shikamaru had a ‘lazy’ status that hurt his chakra and physical attributes.  Shino had some chakra penalties and charisma penalties too.

It was all maths though.  Which was her favorite subject.  Even after she had finished school.  Sometimes she wished to be able to bring items from play to play.  She had worked out all the relationships between attributes and health and chakra once.  Only once since all that work disappeared when she got back to this screen.

She had started balancing the attributes early on, keeping them as even as possible.  Moving points around so every attribute had 6 was her first move.  Now she had 14 points to play with.  As she wasn’t planning on being a shinobi, if at all possible, she decided to focus on the attributes that helped dealing with people.

**Point Distribution**

0 **Attribute** **Points**

**Strength 6 >**

**Vitality 6 >**

**Dexterity 8 >**

**Intelligence 10 >**

**Wisdom 10 >**

**Charisma 10 >**

While helpful towards charka, Intelligence also allowed her to learn more and learn faster.  Wisdom helped understand what went on around her, and with the idea of going a whole new route, she hoped a higher Wisdom would help.  Charisma was pretty straightforward in how it could help.  The more people liked her, the better the product she got.

**You can now pick 3 status perks.**

**Chakra Coils – Locked**

**Chakra Coils – Unlocked**

**Personality – Quiet and Shy**

**Personality – Quiet and Solemn**

**Personality – Shy and Unconfident**

**Personality – Blunt and Outgoing**

**Personality – Good Listener**

**Personality – Bookworm**

**Personality – Prankster**

**Personality – Fangirl**

**Personality – Lazy**

**Personality – Perverted**

**Personality - Vain**

**Body Type – Statuesque**

**Body Type – Flexible**

**Body Type – Rock Solid**

**Body Type – Fleet-Footed**

**Status – Clan Heir**

**Status – Genii**

**Status – Orphan**

**Other – Kinesthetic Learner**

**Other – Book Smart**

**Other – Team Player**

**Other – Religious**

**Profession – Chef**

**Profession – Writer**

**Profession – Blacksmith**

**Profession – Store Keep**

**Profession – Trader**

**Profession – Artist**

**Profession – Farmer**

**Profession – Rancher**

She knew some of the statuses from being and meeting other characters.  She knew some of the benefits and penalties.  Some of them were new to her though.  Most of the profession statuses.  A few of the personality status were new too.  Every ‘heir’ status she had seen was for a shinobi clan, but it always helped with the family ‘business.’  The ‘other’ statuses were usually for experience gain.

The locked coil status would probably help with the civilian goal.  Lee had _Damaged_ coils which meant he was more physical than jutsu as a fighter.  Locked coils would be her first choice, with heir as the next.  That left one more.  It would probably be a good idea to pick a profession.

With the attribute points, Blacksmith was probably a bad idea.  From Tenten she knew strength was big for that.  The only writer she had met was Jiraiya and that wasn’t exactly a good impression.  Akimichi were chefs, as were the ramen shop owners (Teuchi and Ayame), so she had some experience with cooking.  Artist was kind of what Sai did, though she hadn’t unlocked him, if she could.  Sai fought with ink.  Traders probably travelled a lot and that wouldn’t be so safe in later years. 

That left Store Keep, Farmer, and Rancher.  She had done some farm work on D-Rank missions.  It wasn’t something she had enjoyed.  And while working with animals sounded nice, she didn’t know if she’d be good at it.  Store Keep was ambiguous.  It could be any type store, even one she had no clues about.

Crap.  This wasn’t easy.  Maybe she should look at the personality ones.  Lazy, Vain, Perverted, and Fangirl were thrown out automatically.  Vain was the only one with a benefit and it was only to Charisma, with the penalty going to reputation gain.  Prankster wouldn’t really be helpful.  Hinata was the Shy and Unconfident and that gave penalties to reputation and charisma.  Blunt didn’t seem like a good idea.  The Quiets were all negative in reputation gain.  That left Good Listener and Bookworm.

From selecting the other statuses, she knew no information would pop up for her to learn about.  Best to go with something that seemed obvious.  Bookworm sounded the least able to be turned against her.  She could be considered nosy with the Listener.

**Please stand by while your profile is compiled.**

**…**

**..**

**.**

**..**

**…**

**Profile Complete**

**Haruno Kaede**

That was… different.  She would be related to Sakura in some way.  From what she remembered, her chakra control is probably really high with her Wisdom attribute.  The chakra penalty would probably be high, but she might still have some to play with if she was lucky.

What the hell did Sakura’s family do?

**Game will begin in**

**3 . . .**

**2 . . .**

**1 . . .**

**0**

**Begin**

**You have slept in Your Bed.**

**HP and CP filled to 100%**

Familiar with the ‘wake up’ message, she sat up to see where she was.  And got a fairly not nice surprise.

She was a boy.

Crap.

Though she probably should have figured since the profile said _heir_ instead of _heiress_ like Ino had and Hinata could get.

She was also younger than what the others started out as, maybe two.  Usually she was seven or eight and beginning the Shinobi Academy.  She had thought she’d be older with 50 points instead of the total 30 she had in Story Mode.  Crap.

_Profile,_ she thought quickly.  There was usually some new information in there.

**Haruno Kaede**

**Occupation:** (2 Available)

**Level:** 5 **EXP to LV: 00.00%**

**HP: 90.00    HPR: 2.50/min**

**CP: 37.50     CPR: 4.38/min**

**Strength: 6**

**Vitality: 6**

**Dexterity: 8**

**Intelligence: 10 (+2.5) = 12.50**

**Wisdom: 10 (+2.5) = 12.50**

**Charisma: 10**

**(** 0 **Attribute Points Available)**

**(** 1 **Perk Point)**

**Status: [** Locked Chakra Coils **] -90% Chakra,** Civilian **; [** Bookworm **] +50% EXP gain from Skill Books, +0.5 to Wisdom per LV, +0.5 to Intelligence per LV; [** Haruno Heir **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Haruno Family Practices **]**

**Haruno Kaede is the eldest of the new generation of Harunos.  He is slotted to lead the family business (**? **) when an adult.  Born before the end of the Third Shinobi War, Kaede is one of the few children allowed to grow without shinobi training.**

The Third Shinobi War was before any of the timeline she had played.  Naruto was born October 10 a year after the war.  There was some information she had, if she could remember it all.

Yondaime became the Yellow Flash in the Third War.  Kushina was the Jinchūriki for Kyūbi.  How much longer until Sakura would be born?  A few years?

Why the hell did she have to be in a totally new situation?

What other surprises would Custom Mode have for her?

Shaking herself, she looked back at her stats.  She had a Perk Point to play with.  And there was also a question mark in the description.  That was new-ish.  Mentally tapping the question mark, a new screen popped up.

**The Haruno Family is a Civilian Clan focused on a specific Profession. You will be in charge of managing all family businesses once Clan Head.  Decide what Profession your family follows.**

**Chefs – Your family is the civilian version of the Akimichi clan.  Your family owns several restaurants and bakeries.**

**Artisans – Your family focuses on art and the various roads an artisan can take.  From Architect to Sculptor to Weaver, your family holds them all.**

**Trade Shop – Your family owns a wide network of shops between villages.  Any good can be found in your stores.**

**Farmers/Ranchers – Your family has owned land since the Founding and used this land to the village’s benefit.  From cattle to grain, your family provides a large portion of consumable goods.**

None of these would have helped Sakura as a shinobi.  Which made sense as a civilian clan.  Going from what she read, Chefs and Trade Shop would have a lot of different things to know to run businesses successfully.  So would Farmers and Artisans but it sounded like there were specific sections that ran on their own.  Artisans honestly sounded the most interesting for her.  That decided that then.

Now the perk point.

**1 Perk Point Available**

**Chakra Coils – Unlocked**

**Personality – Quiet and Shy**

**Personality – Quiet and Solemn**

**Personality – Good Listener**

**Personality – Lazy**

**Status – Genii**

**Other – Team Player**

**Other – Religious**

**Other - Artistic**

Genii would give Intelligence and Wisdom points.  Team Player was similar to Kiba’s Pack Member so ally EXP seemed likely.  In all honesty, the Artistic perk seemed the best for her now.

**Artistic**

**+25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **], +0.5 to Intelligence per LV, +10% to Wisdom, Adds** Creativity **to Attributes, +0.5 to Creativity per LV**

Well that sounded helpful.  Though having a new attribute to manage would be interesting.  Hopefully the 10 points a level kept so she had more than usual to play with.  The new attribute would help with her family profession though.  That decided that then.

Looking back through her profile, she spotted the blank Occupation.  Something else to look at.

**Available Occupations:**

**Toddler (+50% EXP gain)**

**Family Heir (+25% Reputation gain with other Heirs)**

Huh.  The Toddler would probably leave after she grew, but it would help for the moment.  Getting a higher level would be nice.  Now her profile looked complete.

**Haruno Kaede**

**Occupation:** Toddler **(+50% EXP gain)**

**Level:** 5 **EXP to LV: 00.00%**

**HP: 90.00    HPR: 2.50/min**

**CP: 45.00     CPR: 4.63/min**

**Strength: 6**

**Vitality: 6**

**Dexterity: 8**

**Intelligence: 10 (+5) = 15.00**

**Wisdom: 10 (+3.5) = 13.50**

**Charisma: 10**

**Creativity: 6 (+2.5) = 8.50**

**(** 0 **Attribute Points Available)**

**(** 0 **Perk Points)**

**Status: [** Locked Chakra Coils **] -90% Chakra,** Civilian **; [** Bookworm **] +50% EXP gain from Skill Books, +0.5 to Wisdom per LV, +0.5 to Intelligence per LV; [** Haruno Heir **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Haruno Art Practices **], +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **]; [** Artistic **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **], +0.5 to Intelligence per LV, +10% to Wisdom, Adds** Creativity **to Attributes**

**Haruno Kaede is the eldest of the new generation of Harunos.  He is slotted to lead the family business of Artistry when an adult.  Born before the end of the Third Shinobi War, Kaede is one of the few children allowed to grow without shinobi training.**

It certainly looked good for a toddler’s profile.  Level 5 at just one or two.  She still had a _bunch_ of questions about her new situation though.


	2. Chapter 2

**[Crawling] LV6 72.59%**

**One must crawl before they can walk.**

**Passively increases strength by 1%**

**[Counting] LV3 37.28%**

**1, 2, 3, 4.  The basics of numbers and math is important.**

**Passively increases intelligence by 0.25%**

**[Speaking] LV4 59.36%**

**Taking the words you hear and replicating them is the first step to expressing yourself.**

**Passively increases wisdom by 0.5%**

**[Reading] LV1 16.87%**

**Understanding the written word is the basis of writing.**

**Passively increases wisdom by 0.5%**

**Passively increases intelligence by 0.25%**

**[Observe] LV1 34.92%**

**By observing your surroundings, the user can gather information on the objects and people around them.**

It was a good start for her skills.  Basic skills that didn’t really help her stats a lot, but it was a good start nonetheless.  She had never seen these type of skills but again she never began this young.  She couldn’t picture what Reading and Speaking and Counting would turn into.

She had the basic Gamer abilities, Mind and Body, that she always had.  It had helped her keep her head during fights before.  And she never felt her injuries as actual pain.

She was pretty sure she was almost one.  So her skill levels are good for her at the moment.  She would want them to get better soon though.  The faster she leveled, the faster she would max the skills, the faster she would see what came next.

Her parents were interesting people.  Her father the older brother of Kizashi, who she knew was Sakura’s father, the first shinobi of their mostly civilian family.  He was recently married to Mebuki, Sakura’s mother.  Both were shinobi and soon to be on the warfront.  Kaede’s father, Naoki, was an architect.  Her mother, Akari, was a painter that specialized in portraits.

Interestingly enough, the current Clan Head was technically a great aunt.  Their clan followed different rules for succession.  Instead of a specific family leading the clan, it was the child born with black hair.  Surprisingly, most of the Haruno clan had red, blond, or other such colors.  Black and brown were rare unless the person married in.  Uncle Kizashi had a mahogany like color.  Sakura didn’t actually have a strange color according to their family.  Kaede’s mother had an almost orange color while her father had a lighter red compared to Kizashi.

Listening to her mother was actually a good way to learn.  Her mother liked to talk while painting.  It didn’t help her skills much.  But there might not be another way to learn these things.  Other than listening to her mom talk about the clan, she mostly played with the blocks her grandfather, a woodworker, carved for her to play with.  She mostly tried to spell things or put things in order to up her experience.  Or she’d navigate the studio her mother used.  It was pretty fun trying to navigate the objects.

Or interesting that it was her highest skill.  She didn’t have to do a whole lot of focus on crawling so she listened while she moved.  Today’s lesson was on the different farms and growers who sold their family different plants and woods to use in their works.  Her mother was going on about red dyes at the moment.

“Sometimes a bark works well for redish browns. I rather prefer flower petals myself. But your great, great aunt _loves_ to use barks and pollens.”

While interesting, and probably something she’d need to know to run the family, it wasn’t as interesting as the history lessons she got.  She smiled a gummy smile at the notice of a level up on her Crawling.  Moving back towards her blocks, she decided it was time to count some.  Math was still her favorite subject.

“You are just the sweetest baby, Kaede-chan,” her mother commented.  “Always quiet and never making a mess.”

It took almost a week before she maxed all her baby skills.  She hadn’t gone to the next skills yet, hoping to keep everything even.  So when her parents put her to bed that night, she pulled out her list.

**~~~**

**[Crawling] LVMAX**

**One must crawl before they can walk.**

**Passively increases strength by 2.5%**

**[Counting] LVMAX**

**1, 2, 3, 4.  The basics of numbers and math is important.**

**Passively increases intelligence by 1%**

**[Speaking] LVMAX**

**Taking the words you hear and replicating them is the first step to expressing yourself.**

**Passively increases wisdom by 2%**

**[Reading] LVMAX**

**Understanding the written word is the basis of writing.**

**Passively increases wisdom by 3%**

**Passively increases intelligence by 2%**

**[Observe] LV6 89.53%**

**By observing your surroundings, the user can gather information on the objects and people around them.**

**Would you like to upgrade Crawling to Walking?**

**Would you like to upgrade Counting to Basic Math?**

**Would you like to upgrade Speaking to Speaking II?**

**Would you like to upgrade Reading to Reading II?**

Well that wasn’t as fun as she thought it would be.  Math made sense.  So did the crawl to walk.  But this was the first time she got numerals in skills.  The benefits from the skills were a little higher now, but not by a lot.  Well Walking gave a 5% bonus to strength which was nice.

She was kind of close to level 6 too now that she looked at her profile.  That would allow her to see how many attribute points she got.  Story Mode gave her one perk point every 2 levels until level 10.  Since she started with one she was pretty sure the points would come every five levels like after level 10.  Attribute points came in every level with 8 every time.  There were ways to up the base level of an attribute but she hadn’t found any yet in this mode.  Custom Mode was a lot different with its skills and points.

She also allowed for the fact she was a toddler still.  Though it would certainly be interesting to see how her parents would react to her walking.  She had tried standing every now and then but not walking.  She got her amusement out of the little things at the moment.

~~~

So after showing her new skills in walking, her parents apparently decided she could be release into the family compound.  On one hand, awesome because her Observe skill was getting a huge workout.  The other hand, her family had a lot of dangerous items just lying around.  Her grandfather the woodworker?  Had all of his tools out in front of his house.  Lots of sharp objects there.

Though those sharp pointy things gave a new skill.

**[Danger Sense] LV2 98.39%**

**Allows user to sense dangerous objects and people within certain distances.  Current top distance: 25 meters**

It was certainly interesting.  As she wasn’t planning on following a dangerous life style.  Though maybe she could help her cousin when Sakura was born.  Getting rid of the Fangirl status would help her a lot in all honesty.  The penalties were huge.  And if she was older than all of the shinobi in Sakura’s age group.  All the age group she had played this stupid game/purgatory as.

Kaede as she would probably need to get used to this new name.  Thinking of herself as Kaede would be the easiest method.  She liked this new life so far.  As Kaede waddled around the courtyard, she kept an eye out on her family and their professions.  A lot of the professions needing lots of space did their work in the clan courtyard.  The courtyard wasn’t just a small strip of land, it was more like a street.

The Haruno family lived with their homes all facing out.  Every back door opened onto what was called the Haruno courtyard.  There were a few times a year where the gate at one end of the compound was opened and the clan had an art fair type event.  It was the time where the villagers came and requested work or bought small trinkets the family members had made.  At the other end of the courtyard was the furnaces and smithies.  So far, Kaede had stayed well away from that end of the compound.

There were plenty of woodworkers and sculptors and weavers around the courtyard.  Kaede gravitated towards the weavers or her grandfather more often than not.  She had knit before purgatory started and always wanted to know how to weave.  Her grandfather always had something interesting to say, usually something about the family but sometimes something about outsiders.

With Observe, she had deduced there were six levels of skill for artisans.  They were Novice, Competent, Proficient, Advanced, Expert, and Master.  Novices and Competents were usually working with an Expert or Master.  Proficient and Advanced seemed to work by themselves or in groups.  She was pretty sure one had to teach to become a Master, but she hadn’t been able to find out for sure yet. 

She generally gravitated to the group of Advanced Weavers in the courtyard.  They would let her play with some spare pieces in their circle.  Today she decided to move towards the lone Master Weaver.  A gray haired woman with hands that were always bent, probably arthritis.

**Haruno Haruhi**

**Occupation:** Master Weaver

 **Level** 38

**Master Weaver of the Haruno clan, Haruhi-sama has trained many weavers in her years.  Having been born in the early days of Konoha, Haruhi has had spent most of her life dedicated to her craft.**

Not only was Haruhi-sama a Master Weaver, she was the highest level of all the family members she had seen thus far.  The highest level of a civilian she had encountered in any of her ‘lives’ here.  If Kaede wanted to be able to survive the future events Story Mode had thrown at her, having teachings from the highest level civilians she could find were her best bet.

Toddling over to the apple tree Haruhi-sama worked under, she stood as well as she could at the edge of the woman’s domain.  As a baby, even if an irregular one, her legs didn’t have much strength.  Kaede locked her knees to be able to stand and wait.

“Come child,” Haruhi-sama spoke after several long minutes.  She smiled a little and slowly made her way to the elder’s chair.  “Would our heir like to learn the art of weaving?”

“Ha-eye, Har-rue-he-sa-ma,” she sounded out the words.  She wasn’t yet able to articulate anything but the simplest words.

Wizened hands picked her up from under the armpit and sat her on the woman’s lap.  “Watch, young one. And tell me what you learn.”

So she watched.  Kaede watched as the woman worked.  Watched as she shifted yarn and threads and slowly finished the rendition of the Hokage Monument, minus the Yondaime.  It was far more confusing than Kaede thought it would be.  There was so much Haruhi-sama did between each row to create the sophisticated image.

“What have you learned?” Haruhi asked as she took the woven image off the loom.

“Hawd,” Kaede stated.  “Lots ta do.”

The old woman laughed.  “Yes, there is a lot to do. But that was a masterpiece work. Let me show you an easier pattern.”

 _Observe,_ she commanded quietly before the masterpiece was gone from view.

**Three Hokage Wall-hanging**

**Quality: Masterpiece**

**Artisan: Haruno Haruhi**

“Hoo?” Kaede asked.

“Hmm?”

“Hoo four?”

“Ah, it is a gift for the Sandaime Hokage. Hiruzen-san has one with each new head added to the Mountain. The first two were rather difficult while having to work with the changed Mountain, but while I may be old, I remember how the Mountain looked before the Nidaime.”

Kaede watched as a new piece of information attached itself to the Hanging’s info.

**Piece 3 of Hokage Wall-Hangings**

So when the Yondaime came, there would be a fourth.  And Haruhi had made them all.

Kaede was silent as she watched the master at work.  This new weave was simpler compared to the Hokage set.  There wasn’t much movement, at least to start.  She focused on the way Haruhi moved the yarn to hide or show itself.  There was a lot to learn of her family practices.  So the screens took a backseat as Kaede’s lesson continued.

~~~

**You have unlocked: Artistic Knowledge and Haruno Family Arts subscreens.**

That was new.  Playing around while lying in her bed, Kaede found the subscreens in her skills menu.

**Haruno Family Arts (1/10)**

  * **Weaving LV1 15.24%**



**Artistic Knowledge**

  * **Weaving LV2 37.29%**



So she learned a bit just by watching Haruhi work.  And according to this there were a total of ten Arts the Haruno family did.  Kaede knew painting and woodworking and architecture would be in that list.  That was four total.  Sculpting might be another, but there were so many types of sculpting.  Did pottery count as a sculpture?  Because if not that was two more.  There was at least one person who worked with the yarn and dyed it so there could be another.  Ten family arts but those couldn’t be all there was to learn.  Otherwise the Artistic Knowledge would have a counter too.

The amount of EXP gained today was really low too.  Was that because she just watched?  Would she get more if she practiced?  She gained more experience through doing something more often than not.  Though what did that mean for her Bookworm status?  It was a start though.  She had beginning points.

Though what about goals?  What did she have to work towards right now?  This life would probably have fewer ‘quests’ than Story Mode had.  Those quests had been what she used to figure out her next steps.  Granted she could almost predict the quests in the early stages, they still helped her focus.

What should she focus on now?

Art?  As the heir it made sense.

She kind of wanted to see if she could take the crazy amount of knowledge from the Story Mode and see if she could change things.  A new direction from the carnage she had seen.

Was there a way to lessen the bloodshed she had seen as one of the Konoha Twelve?  If there was, where was that point?  Had she passed it?

What did she know about the years before?  Going from the Kyūbi Attack, there was the Hinata Kidnapping, which happened when they were two to five-ish.  Hinata’s story arc had mentioned it, as had Neji’s though she hadn’t gotten far in his.  So what next?

Sakura and Ino became friends?  That would be the start of the Academy.

Sasuke!  The Uchiha were murdered when they were seven or eight.  Goodness she had spent a lot of lives thinking it was Itachi before she got to the Madara mystery.  At least the last bit of that pointed towards Madara having been involved somehow.  Besides a preteen to young teen Itachi killing all the Uchiha in one night was a hard idea to wrap her head around.

But the Uchiha could be something to stick her nose into.  The Hyūga kidnapping would probably not be something she could poke for a few years.  She’d tackle that after Sakura was born.  That should be something she’s told of.  Or at least hears of in the courtyard.

**Self-Created Quest!**

**Custom Mode, unlike Story Mode, does not have set quests activated by various means.  Within Custom Mode the player must decide how they will affect the surrounding storyline.**

**Kaede Quest 1**

**Befriend an Uchiha**

**Kaede Quest 2**

**Stop the Hyūga Incident**

Well those were vague.  And had no set gains if fulfilled or failed.  And they were only one objective in each quest.  They were simple quests.  And apparently dependent on what she decided.  So what else could she do?

Art.  The Haruno clan focused on art. 

**Kaede Quest 3**

**Learn all Haruno Art Practices**

Still vague but they were starts.  And probably enough for one night.  She still had to wake up in the morning.

~~~

It took two more days to reach level 6.  She had spent those days learning weaving from Haruhi-sama and walking along the courtyard.  Her speaking skill was higher and she no longer had to focus on simple words.  She could keep walking for almost an hour before becoming weak kneed.

She finally knew for certain that each level would give her 10 attribute points.  Unfortunately it also meant she had to decide where to put those points.  Before, in Story Mode, she had penalties to counter and off-balanced skillsets.  Now her attributes were pretty even.  With all her benefits her attributes were less even but not so crazy.

**Point Distribution**

10 **Attribute** **Points**

**Strength 6 >**

**Vitality 6 >**

**Dexterity 8 >**

**Intelligence 10 >**

**Wisdom 10 >**

**Charisma 10 >**

**Creativity 6 >**

First she raised the base of strength and vitality to equal eight the same as dexterity.  Then she raised creativity to ten.  That left two points for her to move around.  But with only two points she wasn’t able to keep a balance like she wanted.  Thinking through what she might need as an artisan, Kaede finally decided to put those points in dexterity.

**Haruno Kaede**

**Occupation:** Toddler **(+50% EXP gain)**

 **Level:** 6 **EXP to LV: 09.13%**

**HP: 122.40  HPR: 3.00/min**

**CP: 49.44     CPR: 5.27/min**

**Strength: 8 (+0.48) = 8.48**

**Vitality: 8**

**Dexterity: 10**

**Intelligence: 10 (+6.48) = 16.48**

**Wisdom: 10 (+5.08) = 15.08**

**Charisma: 10**

**Creativity: 10 (+3.13) = 13.13**

**(** 0 **Attribute Points Available)**

 **(** 0 **Perk Points)**

 **Status: [** Locked Chakra Coils **] -90% Chakra,** Civilian **; [** Bookworm **] +50% EXP gain from Skill Books, +0.5 to Wisdom per LV, +0.5 to Intelligence per LV; [** Haruno Heir **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Haruno Art Practices **], +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **]; [** Artistic **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **], +0.5 to Intelligence per LV, +10% to Wisdom, Adds** Creativity **to Attributes, +0.5 to Creativity per LV**

Compared to past experience in Story Mode her profile wasn’t that good.  She had gotten far better as even the weakest of the Konoha Twelve.  But Kaede was proud of it.  Age wise she was ahead of the shinobi she had been.  And again she was a civilian.

She was starting to suspect that civilian levels weren’t low due to a cap, as Haruhi-sama proved that a civilian could rise to chunin levels.  Instead she suspected that civilian levels were low due to fewer experience opportunities.  It had taken her much longer to gain a single level than she had expected, especially with her occupation bonus. 

So to keep up with shinobi levels she would have to do a lot of work.  But did she want to?  Did she want to try to keep up with people who had more chances of gaining experience and levels?  It didn’t seem plausible.  As of yet she hadn’t found other children her age which was strange now that she thought about it.

“Pay?” she asked her father.  He wasn’t working today so he was keeping her close and inside their home.

“What’s that De-chan?”

“Pay. Fend.” 

Her speaking skill had yet to give her ‘l’s and ‘r’s consistently.  Which made a lot of words out of her reach.  Being so young was annoying.  Luckily her father was the best person to piece together what she was saying.  Her mother got it half the time and her grandfather one out of four times.  The Clan Head, Haruno Akito, could figure it out one third of the time.  Haruhi-sama was able to understand her best after her father.  Probably because she tried to use her known words with Haruhi-sama.

“Friend?” Naoki asked back.

“Un!” she smiled.

“Hmm,” she couldn’t see what was going on in her father’s head, but it looked like he was considering her request.  “I’m not sure who all have kids your age. Or even your maturity,” her father’s dark green eyes pierced her own lighter ones.  “You are far more advanced than the rest of the children your age in the clan.”

Tilting her head, Kaede stared back.  She didn’t know there were other kids in the clan.  “Oders?”  Dang.  Seemed ‘th’s were beyond her reach for the moment.

“Most stay with Akito-sama,” Naoki told her.  “Your mother wanted you close but once you started walking we figured we’d give you more room. Haruhi-sama is quite impressed with your attention to your lessons. Akito-sama decided to let you continue as you are.”

So her family knew she was different but let her be.  Her family was awesome.  She should probably grab the Genii status when her next perk came up.  It would probably answer a lot of their questions.  Hopefully that would be before Sakura’s birth.

“But you want a friend,” her father got back to the point.  “I’ll see what I can do. You might just have to spend some time with Akito-sama and the rest of the children. Now, I have a question for you.”  Kaede watched her father expectantly.  “You know you will be clan head after Akito-sama, yes?”

“Un.”

“Good. Do you know what practice you wish to Master?”  She shook her head.  After all she didn’t know all of the family practices.  “Hmm. You’ve seen your mother and grandfather as well as some of my work. And Haruhi-sama of course. If you keep up with your weaving lessons you might just master that.”

“Fwist,” she nodded.  “Den noder.”

Naoki stared at her.  She stared back.  After several seconds of silent staring, he nodded.  “Ambitious, Kaede-kun.”

“Cha,” she interrupted.  Kun was meant for boys.  Even in a male body, she wanted to be a girl in this life.

“Kaede-chan,” her father corrected himself.  It wasn’t uncommon for her to correct people.  She figured they were humoring her for now.  “Still ambitious. Do you think you can master all of them?”

“No.”  She really didn’t.  But she wanted to be Proficient or Advanced in all of them.  “Tree, may-bee.”

“Three Masterships? Very ambitious. Weaving will be one?”  She nodded.  “Haruhi-sama will be pleased. She is the only Master Weaver we have.”

Now that was new information.  Were there others like that?  “Oders too?”

“Hmm?”

“Haruhi-sama, lone. Oders?”

“Ah, no. Haruhi-sama is the only Master Weaver but all other arts have more than one master.”  Again Naoki stared at her.  For some reason he seemed to understand her thought processes.  It was nice since her vocabulary was limited.  “Not many go for a mastership in Pottery. There are three that I can remember.”  She nodded in understanding.  She would probably grab Pottery as her second skill then.  “Ginta-san is the head of that art. He usually works in his home. I’ll see if we can get you lessons. Now the next with the fewest masters would be… those in Fabricing.”

The fabricing would probably include dyes and tanning of leather.  Not exactly something she was interested in.  Her face probably showed that as her father laughed.

“So not fabrics. Hmm, metalworking?”  Another head tilt had him explaining further.  “Jewelry and furniture. Candle holders, decorative blades and other such things.”

“Lots in fowge,” she commented.

“Yes, we do have a lot of metal workers. About ten masters total at the moment.”

“Fowge hot. Herwt.”

“True, it wouldn’t be something you could do until you’re six or seven. Even then only simple things. Perhaps we should focus on weaving and pottery and decide on your third later? You might have an aptitude for one yet.”

“Kay.”

“I know there are a few shinobi clans with heirs your age,” Naoki commented after a few minutes of silence.

“Mm?”

“Inuzuka and Uchiha, I believe.”  Hana and Itachi.  “Hmm, Buta has a delivery to the Inuzukas coming up. I’ll join him. I doubt the Uchiha have any orders at the moment, but I’ll ask around.”

Her father was the best.  Kaede was pretty sure he would have made a good Clan Head if the family didn’t have the hair thing.  She wasn’t sure yet what shade of brown or black she had, but her mother had already commented on her green eyes being very bright.

“Ginta?” she wondered.

“He’s younger than Akito-sama. His focus is mostly fancy vases and such. You would probably start out doing cups and plates. I’m not sure.”

“Stong?”

“I don’t think you need to be very strong. I’ll ask though. Might be something to work towards.”

Great, and she had already used all her points.  But her strength was at eight so maybe it wasn’t too bad.  That put her higher than most of the nine in Sakura’s age group to start.

Having her questions answered, Kaede turned back to her paper and ink.  She was trying to create a writing skill or some sort.  With Reading and Speaking over baby level, she hoped to get something that would allow her to write.  So far she was writing her name a bunch of times.  春野楓 was not an easy name to write out.  And unfortunately her purgatory wrote in a language she didn’t know before all this happened.  She got the first two pretty well done.  They were Haruno.  The last symbol was Kaede and was much harder to write.  It had a lot of lines.

But she kept at it.  Eventually she’d get it.  Practice made perfect after all.

The sun was beginning to set behind the houses surrounding the courtyard when Akari came home.

“Time for dinner you two,” she smiled before picking Kaede up to carry inside.  Her mother was very touchy.  Which wasn’t a bad thing; it just meant she didn’t seem to like how fast her child learned things.  She treated Kaede like an almost two year old instead of the walking-talking-understanding child she was.

 **Due to repeated actions [** Writing **] has been created.**

Finally.  Opening her skill menu let her see the new skill her time and energy had created.

**[Writing] LV1 74.92%**

**Putting down thoughts and ideas can help organize your mind. Writing can also allow others to understand your thoughts when speaking does not work.**

**Passively increases dexterity by 1%**

Cool.  Now, if she was adding up all her benefits right, the only attribute without a benefit was vitality.  And her health wasn’t a big worry since she wasn’t a fighter.  It would be good to keep increasing it though, just in case.  The events of Story Mode that affected Konoha were pretty dangerous.

Allowing her body to move automatically, Kaede let her mother baby her and still got some thinking done.  She was pretty sure Naoki knew what she was doing, but he never called her on it.  And she had a lot of new information to think about.

Her parents had kept her separate from the rest of the Haruno clan children, even before she ‘woke up’ here.  Though her knowledge of human behavior was mostly just observation based, Kaede was pretty sure they did it because her mother feared losing her child to the Clan.  Some of her grandfather’s ramblings made sense with this added information.

If she was piecing things together right, usually the clan heir was raised by the clan as a whole.  Which would point to her situation being an anomaly.  She had spent most of her time with her mother inside their home.  Then Kaede began to walk.  She had never had children or spent a lot of time with babies before purgatory started, but she was pretty sure babies didn’t start walking consistently until after year one.  Again she wasn’t _sure_ of her age, but figured she wasn’t two yet.

So when Kaede began to walk, Naoki probably convinced his wife to let their baby out in the courtyard where lots of family members would watch her.  And then Kaede began talking and focusing on learning family skills she saw in the courtyard.  Naoki seemed willing to treat his child at the level Kaede showed.  Akari seemed determined to treat her as though she was a regular child of her age.

With all of that, Kaede wasn’t sure if she should keep progressing.  Noticeably at least.  She could sit and watch people work and learn things that way, as she had already done to begin with.  And she could crawl more often than walking.  But would appeasing her mother be the best option?

Naoki would probably let her do whatever.  He seemed pretty easy-going about her development.  Haruhi-sama would probably be suspicious about her lack of progress after a while though.

And what about making friends?  Kaede was different from her fellow babies and toddlers.  Not just with her mentality but with the game thing too.  Her father was already going to see about getting her together with Inuzuka Hana.  Hana, if she remembered correctly, was just as brash as Kiba with a flair for medical jutsu.  On one hand, she became an awesome woman and would be a great role model for Sakura.  On the other, would Hana want a civilian friend?  Hell would Hana want to be friends with someone smarter than her?

“Heavy thoughts De-chan?” her father’s voice cut through.  She looked up at him, realizing he was putting her in bed.

“Too fac?” she asked him.  At her father’s tilted head, she tried again.  “Eawn too fac? Ka-cha na hap-ee.”

She watched as understanding grew on his face.  And thankfully, he didn’t automatically open his mouth.  She wasn’t sure she would trust those first words.  Instead Naoki thought about her question.  His gaze flicked up and over her head before he responded.  “It’s not that you learn too fast, De-chan. Your Ka-chan is just worried. At some point you won’t need us anymore. She’s afraid of that.”

“Slow?”

Naoki shook his head.  “No, I don’t think you should slow down. You’d get pretty bored, wouldn’t you?”

“Ka-cha.”  Movement behind her startled her and caused her to fall on her back. 

Akari came to stand next to her husband.  Well crap.

“De-chan,” Akari started, tears leaking from her eyes, “I don’t want you to stop being you, okay? If you learn something or want to learn something, don’t _not_ just because of those around you. Do you understand?”

Having pushed herself back to an upright position, Kaede nodded.  “Na hap-ee.”

Akari looked to her husband for a translation.  “Not unhappy with you, De-chan.”

“No!” Akari agreed.  “I’m… You are my baby. My only baby. And I had hoped to spend a lot of time with you. But you’re important to the family.”

“Dair,” she offered.

Akari smiled weakly.  “Yes, you’re the heir. I… Nothing told us that before you were born. I had ideas about motherhood that are different from the truth. Because you’re the heir. I have to adjust those ideas.”

Akari paused and gave a more real smile than before.  “And then you learned so quick, I had to readjust again. You’re a special little boy, Kaede-kun. I want what’s best for you, even if it isn’t what I expected.”

Nodding, Kaede let the boy bits slide for the moment.  The conversation was more important than the transgender bit about her.

“Don’t stop being who you are, Kaede-kun. You’re smart. Far smarter than anyone expected. And your Tou-san and I want to help you learn, at your speed. Not everyone else’s. Okay?”

“Tay.”


	3. Chapter 3

So Kaede kept to her ‘schedule’ with a few changes.  She spent mornings with Haruhi-sama, who worked on simple projects for her to learn from.  Lunch was now spent inside with her mother, who was rather shocked the first time Kaede turned up for lunch.  Afternoons were spent watching various other craftspeople or now working on her writing skill.

She expected to start alternating what she did in the mornings between Haruhi-sama and Ginta-san, but Ginta had yet to agree to lessons.  He kept stating she was too young to learn.  Akito-sama would sometimes stop by in the evenings to give her clan history lessons the other children got.

Apparently word was spreading through the compound that Haruno Kaede understood far more than other children her age.  Any time she was caught watching, someone would explain whatever had caught her eye.  Sometimes that was the woodcarving of her grandfather.  Sometimes that was the woman who dried her dyed fabrics in the courtyard.  Sometimes it was simply her stopping and watching shinobi guards roof-hop over their homes.

Today was an anomaly to her usual schedule.  Haruhi-sama was taking the **Three Hokage** wall-hanging to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime.  The wise woman, after Naoki mentioned weaving was to be Kaede’s mastery, took the heir with her.  It was her first time outside the compound that she could recall.  Kaede was rather excited for the trip.

But Haruhi had also set some ground rules.  While smart and advanced for her age, Kaede was still a child.  So she had to stay next to Haruhi-sama at all times, not run off, or touch anything in the market stalls.  Kaede figured she could resist temptation for the trip.  She gathered some of Haruhi-sama’s yukata in her hand and walked alongside her.

The walk was long.  Far longer than Kaede was used to.  Luckily, Haruhi-sama planned for this by bringing a Competent Metalsmith with them.  Takino carried Kaede when she was too tired.  During those times, she used her Observe on the things and people they passed.

“Ah, Haruno-san, Hokage-sama has been anxious for your arrival,” the receptionist lady stated when they were inside.

“I’m sure. Hiruzen seemed quite certain the current Mountain would not last for much longer,” Haruhi-sama smiled.  She had already explained to Kaede that she believed the Fourth Hokage was to be selected soon.

The receptionist smiled back.  “If you wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes; Hokage-sama is currently speaking with Uchiha-sama.”

Uchiha?  Which one?  Kaede squirmed a bit in Takino’s arms.  “Down.”

“Not here, Kaede-kun,” Takino stated.

Kaede gave the boy, he was only fifteen, her best glare.  “Down. Now.”

Haruhi laughed.  “It’s alright, Takino-kun. Kaede will stay where we can see her. Right?”

“Un!”  Haruhi was the best.

Takino, very reluctantly, let her on her feet.  Kaede stretched a little before looking around to see where her limitations put her.  There was a woman on the other side of the waiting area with a child.  She looked Uchiha.  Unfortunately, Kaede had only even seen Sasuke, Itachi, and Madara.  And the last two only as adults.  The woman was also in such a place that Haruhi wouldn’t see Kaede if she went over there.  But the receptionist would.

Turning to Haruhi, Kaede pulled on her yutaka for attention.  Once she had it, she pointed to the woman who guarded the Hokage’s office.  “She coun’?”

Haruhi looked to the woman and seemed to ask her for her vote.  “It’s fine, Haruno-san. I’ll keep an eye on her.”  Thus Haruhi nodded to the new addition to Kaede’s watch.

Grinning, she made her way over to the woman.  She was very pretty.  And looked a lot like the picture Sasuke had of his mother.  If the ‘Uchiha-sama’ inside was his father, then his mother might be the one out here.

“Hi,” she smiled and waved at the woman from a few feet away.

“Hello,” the woman greeted back.

“’m Har-uno Ka-ede.”

The woman smiled.  “I’m Uchiha Mikoto. And this is my son Itachi,” she motioned to the boy seated next to her.

“Hi!” Kaede waved.  The boy glanced her way but said nothing.  Tilting her head, Kaede watched him for a moment.  “Wanna p’ay?” she asked slowly, wanting to get her words right.

“No.”

Well at least he talked back.  Kaede frowned at him for a moment.  “Why not?” she asked back with a scrunched up face.

The boy stared at her.  He apparently wasn’t used to being questioned.  Or something.  “I do not play.”  Damn his words were easier spoken than hers.

“You learn?”  He nodded.  “How?”

Itachi froze and kept staring at her.  She simply looked back at him.  Most children learned from games.  Which had to be played to be games.  From the corner of her vision, Kaede noticed Mikoto watching them very carefully.

“I practice,” he finally replied.

“Tow me,” she folded her arms over her chest, though probably not as well as she could as an adult.  Or even a preteen.

Itachi stared at her before getting down from his seat.  He took two steps away from everything and began, what she knew were, Uchiha taijutsu katas.  Itachi couldn’t have been _five_.  His forms were good too from what she could see.

“Your tinobi,” she stated as she watched him.  Silently damning her ‘sh’s for not getting with the program.

Itachi stopped and turned to her.  “I will be. Father is hoping to get me early admission to the Academy.”  The look he gave her probably meant he thought she’d need explanations to what he said.

Instead she nodded.  “’M not a tinobi. Clan dair has to learn family trade.”

“You are your clan’s heir?”

“Un. ‘M learning to weave fiwst.”

At this point, Haruhi moved over to greet Mikoto and Itachi.  “Kaede-chan is to learn the Haruno crafts. She plans to have her first mastery in my art of weaving.”  Haruhi-sama then held up the wall-hanging for them to see.

“Haruhi-sama is da best,” Kaede stated.  “’M learning fwom her.”

Itachi stared at the woven threads and reached a hand out.  He stopped suddenly and pulled away.  Kaede smiled and pulled an edge of the hanging closer to him.  “It’s otay. I’s soff. See?”  With her already touching and holding the art piece, Itachi didn’t seem to have a problem feeling the threads.

“You are learning to do this?”

“Un! Someday, I’ll be as good as Haruhi-sama.”

Male laughter caught the little group’s attention.  Kaede recognized both men at the door.  Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Fugaku.  “You will have to work hard to be as good as Haruhi-san, Kaede-chan.”

“I know,” she smiled.  “Wanna master oders too dough.”

Itachi’s face scrunched up a little, so Kaede pulled on Haruhi’s yutaka again.  “The Haruno clan has ten major arts practiced within the clan. Kaede plans to have three masteries and be fairly good at the other seven.”

“Un! Pot-tree too. Not ture on tree yet.”

Itachi just stared at her.  “How old are you?”  All she could do was stare back.  “I am three.”  He took that as her asking back since he told her his age.

She turned to Haruhi for help.  “Kaede-chan is almost one and a half. Two more months until then,” the old woman laughed.

Fourteen months then.

“So Kaede-chan is almost half your age, Itachi-kun,” Mikoto smiled.

Well now she wasn’t as embarrassed about her speech.  Itachi was over twice her age at the moment.

“What else does your family do?” Itachi asked.

Holding up her fingers, Kaede began to count them off.  “Weave, wood, metal, pot-tree, pay-nt, fab-ric, artitetsure, scul-piter,” pausing she tried to remember the last two.

“Stone and clothing,” Haruhi offered.

Nodding, Kaede finished her list.  “’tone and chutting.”  She frowned.  That wasn’t even close.

“Clo as in clover,” Itachi stated.  She stared before figuring out what he was doing.

“Cho.”  And shrugged when that was as close as she could get.

Itachi just continued.  “Thing.”

“Choting,” she finished.  Sounded like chocking to be honest but it was close enough for her.  “You learn tinobi tings?”

Itachi nodded.  “Taijutsu and basic chakra control for now.”

Would she know what chakra is?  Thinking back, she couldn’t pinpoint a time someone explained it to her.  “Shakra?”

“Chakra is the energy inside everything,” he explained.

Showing the Hokage she could use chakra would probably not be good.  “Warm fuzzy ting?” she asked instead.  She had noticed a long time ago that chakra felt warm to her, like her insides were being warmed by a freshly dried blanket.

“That’s it,” he nodded.

“Kaede-kun,” Takino interrupted.  She turned and glared at him.  The boy froze for a moment.  “Haruhi-sama is done.”

She turned to look for the master.  She was talking with Sarutobi-sama.  Kaede stared at Takino for a moment before turning back to Itachi.

“Noder time?” she asked.

Itachi looked to his mother, who nodded with a smile.  “Un. Another time.”

“We’ll see if we can get you two together within the week,” Mikoto offered.

Kaede held up seven fingers.  “Tis many beds?”

Mikoto laughed a little and nodded.  “That many bedtimes.”

Kaede nodded.  Then she poked Takino.  “Tou-tan an Ka-cha.”

Takino just stared at her.  She stared back, her gaze slowly turning into a glare.  Mikoto just laughed some more.

“Her parents’ names?” Fugaku offered a little snidely.

“Oh!” Takino _finally_ got it.  “Haruno Naoki and Akari.”

“Tou-tan an Kaa-cha,” she nodded to Fugaku. 

The taciturn man nodded back.  “I’ve heard of your father for the Police Headquarters.”

Well that was new information.  Not too sure what the clan head was saying, Kaede tilted her head as she usually did, mostly to see if she’d get more information.

Fugaku, probably used to dealing with his genus son, continued.  “Haruno Naoki is one of the architects we are looking into for the building of a new headquarters.”

Huh.  Cool.  Kaede nodded to show she understood.  “’M wit Haruhi-sama ‘n mown’ngs,” she told him.

“Yes,” Haruhi smiled.  “Kaede spends most mornings with me learning. Though I don’t mind if she takes a day off now and again.”

Kaede just stared at the weaving master.

“After,” Itachi nodded when she looked at him.

“Un!”

Haruhi and Mikoto and even Sarutobi-sama laughed at them.  Fugaku seemed rather pleased with their decision.

“Come along, Kaede-chan. Your mother will worry if we don’t get back before lunch,” Haruhi-sama smiled.

“Hai!” she nodded before turning to Takino.  The boy just stared at her.  Rolling her eyes, Kaede turned to look at Itachi.  The slightly older boy nodded in understanding.

Fugaku smirked.  “I believe Kaede-chan wishes to hasten the trip.”  Takino just looked between them.

“Pick her up, Takino,” Haruhi sighed.  “If Kaede-chan walks herself, we won’t get there until after her usual lunchtime. Making Akari-san worry.”

“Oh! Sorry.” 

And she was finally lifted from the floor.  Turning her upper body, Kaede waved at the Uchiha family and Hokage.  “Bye!”

After getting home, just before lunch time, Haruhi-sama had lunch with her and Akari.  It didn’t happen often.  Haruhi joining them that is.  But Kaede figured the older woman planned to tell her mother about the conversation she had with Uchiha Itachi.

“Kaede made a friend today,” Haruhi started.

Nodding in agreement, Kaede continued feeding herself.  Chopsticks were still out of reach for her fingers, but she could pick up small things easily.  Rice she really just picked up by the handful.

“Oh?” Akari asked.  Her mother had been included in the most recent discussion about having playmates.  It was interesting to see the differences between her parents reactions to her concerns.  Naoki tried to find her children to spend time with, both inside and outside the clan.  Akari focused on possible clan members Kaede could play with, but not limiting herself to the children cared for by Akito-sama.

“Mm. The Uchiha heir, Itachi, was waiting with Lady Uchiha while Lord Uchiha spoke with Hiruzen. Kaede and Itachi have decided to continue speaking,” Haruhi smiled.

“Teven bedtimes,” Kaede nodded.

Haruhi explained.  “Mikoto-sama offered to have them get together within the next week. Fugaku-sama mentioned Naoki’s name was mentioned in talks for the new MP HQ.”

Akari nodded.  “He wasn’t very high up the list from what I remember. There are better architects in the family.”

Haruhi nodded.  “He’s not far from a mastership though. A project like that could very well get him there.”  Taking a moment to eat, Haruhi continued giving her mother information on her new possible friend.  “Itachi and Fugaku-sama were easily able to understand Kaede-chan’s limited words. Speaking of, I believe Takino-kun will not be a good choice.”

Mentally snickering, Kaede watched her mother sigh.  Akito-sama had decided she needed a ‘mentor’ from the clan.  Someone older who could guide her when others could not or someone to be a confident for her.  Takino was simply the latest of Akito’s attempts.  Kaede herself doubted she’d consider any of the teens of the clan her mentor considering how many years she had probably spent in purgatory.

“De-chan, while amusing to you, Akito-sama is rather adamant about this,” Akari stated.

Whoops.  Probably laughed out loud.  “Sorry, Ka-cha.”

“Honestly Takino didn’t have a lot of chance,” Haruhi chuckled.  “But it was amusing to see Fugaku-sama be able to understand Kaede-chan so easily. Itachi-kun may end up being a good friend for Kaede.”

“Un!” she smiled.

~~~

Of course the day Itachi and Mikoto come to visit is the day Akito has her spending time with one of the Proficient Tailors.  There wasn’t anything _wrong_ with Michi.  She was actually a really high level for her age and far higher in her profession than any others her age.  It was just…

“Come on, Kaede-kun,” the bubbly girl grinned, “try this one on.”

Kaede wasn’t a big fan of dress up.  Admittedly, some of the outfits weren’t _horrible_.  They were just… male.

“Cha!” Kaede reminded the fourteen year old.  For probably the sixteenth time… that hour.

“Oh, Kaede- _kun_ ,” Michi giggled before pulling the shirt onto her.

Michi had some ideas on gender that Kaede didn’t agree with.  Kaede was a _girl_.  She had done everything she could as of yet to make others understand that.  Most of the clan humored her.  Michi would not even do that.

“Michi,” Akito interrupted, “Kaede-chan has visitors. Allow her to redress.”

Sending a very thankful look to her clan head, Kaede escaped the tailor and redressed in the plain green yutaka her mother dressed her in.  Clothes were one of the agreed upon things Kaede would let her mother pick.  As a way for Akari to always have a bit of time with her child, not including lunch, Akari would help Kaede dress for the day.  Luckily her mother was rather easy to push towards genderless or feminine clothes.

“Come, Kaede,” the clan head called after she was dressed.

Once far enough away from Michi, Kaede spoke up.  “Tank you. Hoo ear?”

“Uchiha Mikoto and Itachi.”  As usual the clan head ignored her thanks.  Akito wasn’t a very outgoing person in general.  Children seemed easier for Akito-sama to interact with.  Though an outlier, Kaede was still a baby in the clan’s eyes but Akito treated her more like a preteen.

As they reached her house, Kaede spotted the Uchiha sitting on the porch.  She kept pace with Akito-sama as was expected, and let the clan head announce her.  Even if it was her own home, there were certain customs to greeting outsiders.  Even more for the wife of a clan head and a clan heir.

Luckily, Kaede had time during the walk to switch her occupation to the Family Heir one.  After her meeting with Itachi, she had remembered the bonus experience the title would give her.  Extra reputation could only help her in her interactions with Itachi.

“Please, enjoy your stay in our home. I will, unfortunately, be unable to join you today,” Akito-sama finished.

“Completely understandable,” Mikoto nodded.  “Perhaps next time.”

“Perhaps.”

Once Akito was out of range, Kaede waved.  “Hi.”

Mikoto smiled at her.  “Hello Kaede-chan.” 

Itachi just nodded but she expected that.  So she moved to sit next to her mother in their little circle.

“How va been?”  She paused as she cursed her speaking limitations.

Though Itachi just seemed amused.  If she was understanding the micro-expressions correctly.  “I’ve been well. Father is to be deployed soon. He has taught me much these past days.”

Nodding, Kaede thought about that.  “Unca Kazi is goin next too. An An Mibuki.”

Akari nodded.  “My husband’s brother and his wife are chunin.”

Mikoto showed some surprise.  “Oh?”

“Un! Unca Kazi does katas bafow bed,” she grinned.

“That’s how you knew I would be a shinobi,” Itachi nodded back.

“Mhmm! Unca Kazi won say where dere goin dough.”

Itachi nodded again.  “Father won’t tell me either. Shina-ba-chan is upset Mina-ji-san is going back out. He came in with the last deployment.”

Shina and Mina… Kushina and Minato?  Huh.

“Mina-chi mut be stong den.”

“Mm. He has a jutsu that allows him to teleport.”

“Tinobi dast?”

“No. It’s different from that. He can go far farther and far faster with it.”

“Cool.”  Mina was definitely Namikaze Minato then.  She now had a, rather weak, connection to Konoha’s Yellow Flash.

“Mina-ji has promised to teach me when I become a jonin,” Itachi commented.  Though she already knew the answer, Kaede tilted her head in question.  “The shinobi ranks start with Academy students, then genin, then chunin like your uncle. Next are jonin and special jonin. Those are the main ranks for our forces.”

“Ah. Der’s tix in the clan,” she offered.  “Ka-cha?”

Akari smiled and gave the six levels they had.  Those were not words Kaede could say without mangling them.

“You’re a novice?” Itachi asked.

Kaede shook her head.  “Gotta be vive.”

“Though Akito-sama and Haruhi-sama are talking about making her an apprentice weaver before then,” Akari mentioned.  “If Kaede-chan’s progress continues.”

Kaede grinned at that.  “Kno too mut.”

Itachi actually smiled back.  “Father signed me up for the academy for the same reason.”

**Kaede Quest 1**

**Befriend an Uchiha**

**Complete!**

**Friendship with Uchiha Itachi; Acquaintanceship with Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku**

**Level Up!**

**Level Up!**

Kaede grinned wider that the messages.  Two levels from one quest?  Awesome.  Most of the experience probably came from the extras there though.  She knew she would get have level experience from reputation experience so the addition of Mikoto and Fugaku probably helped with that.  But!  With how few quests she would have the two levels were awesome.

“Kaede-kun!”  Said child flinched at hearing Michi call for her.  “When you have time I have-“

“Michi!” Akari hissed.  “We have company.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Haruno Michi. Akari-san, can I steal Kaede-kun for a bit?”

The look Itachi gave her said everything.  ‘How dumb can someone be’

‘She’s young,’ Kaede tried to remind him.

Itachi didn’t seem impressed.  ‘We’re younger.’

‘We’re smarter too’

Itachi nodded to that.

“Perhaps another time, Michi,” her mother hedged.

Kaede turned and stared at her mother.  Akari seemed to ignore her.

“Great! I’ll catch you later, Kaede-kun!”

“Chan!” Kaede yelled back.  Childish, but she was tired of Michi’s continuance of calling her kun.

“Kaede-kun,” Michi started.

“Michi,” Akari smiled politely.  Kaede stared as she recognized the danger.  Michi apparently did not.

“Yes?”

“I believe Kaede has told you several times previously. She prefers chan. As your clan heir I think it would, behoove you to do so.”  Mikoto looked blatantly amused.

“Uh, yes ma’am. Sorry,” the girl whispered before beating a hasty retreat.

Itachi was looking rather intently at her.  Kaede did her usual questioning gesture.

“Are you a boy or a girl?” he asked.

“Girl,” she answered back.  Focusing on her letters, she formed the correct and complete words.  “Born wrong.”

Itachi nodded in acceptance to her answer.

~~~

Before the Uchiha had left, Kaede had caught Itachi’s profile with her observe.  It was pretty enlightening.

**Uchiha Itachi**

**Occupation:** Family Heir

 **Level:** 12

**HP: 201.50**

**Strength: 14.3**

**Vitality: 13**

**Dexterity: 19.55**

**Intelligence: 23**

**Wisdom: 33**

**Charisma: 6**

**Status: [** Genii **] +0.5 Intelligence per LV, +2 Wisdom per LV; [** Uchiha Heir **] +10% to Intelligence, +15% to Dexterity, +25% EXP gain towards [** Uchiha Techniques **]; [** Dormant Sharingan **] +5% to Intelligence, +10% to Strength, +25% EXP gain towards any [** Jutsu **]; [** Loyal **] Will do anything for those Honored or higher**

Comparatively, her profile, after pushing her base attribute points to ten each was rather… equal.

**Haruno Kaede**

**Occupation:** Family Heir **(+25% Reputation gain with other Heirs)**

 **Level:** 8 **EXP to LV: 24.64%**

**HP: 122.40  HPR: 4.00/min**

**CP: 55.62     CPR: 6.06/min**

**Strength: 10 (+0.6) = 10.6**

**Vitality: 10**

**Dexterity: 10 (+0.1) = 10.1**

**Intelligence: 10 (+8.54) = 18.54**

**Wisdom: 10 (+6.24) = 16.24**

**Charisma: 10**

**Creativity: 10 (+4.14) = 14.14**

**(** 16 **Attribute Points Available)**

 **(** 0 **Perk Points)**

 **Status: [** Locked Chakra Coils **] -90% Chakra,** Civilian **; [** Bookworm **] +50% EXP gain from Skill Books, +0.5 to Wisdom per LV, +0.5 to Intelligence per LV; [** Haruno Heir **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Haruno Art Practices **], +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **]; [** Artistic **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **], +0.5 to Intelligence per LV, +10% to Wisdom, Adds** Creativity **to Attributes, +0.5 to Creativity per LV**

Using her hands she put the two profiles side-by-side to better compare them.  She automatically saw she had better charisma than Itachi.  Intelligence levels were pretty close but it looked like she probably had more benefits from statuses.  All the physical attributes and wisdom were in Itachi’s favor though.  The disparity seemed understandable both with the difference in age and levels.

She could in theory lessen the gap with her extra points.  But Kaede wasn’t sure that was what she wanted to do.  Keeping up with Itachi would be hard for the sole fact he was on his way to be a shinobi.  But it would also allow her a measuring stick for Sakura and the other rookies.  She figured the intelligence and wisdom differences could be surmounted with her getting the Genii perk.

Granted Itachi wasn’t a good example of _average_ , it would still help her figure where her unborn cousin sat in comparison.  And if she could _keep_ Itachi in the village she would be able to keep an eye on her own stats.  She would need a fellow clan member child to decide her physical stat bases.  The others she would use Itachi’s as a measure for herself.

Sakura would be born around the same time as Sasuke.  If she could keep Sakura somewhat even with the younger Uchiha, she figured she would have done well.

**Kaede Quest 4**

**Help Cousin Sakura Graduate**

_So vague,_ Kaede laughed to herself.  But another quest was cool.  Even if most of them were geared towards the future more than present.

Going back to her previous thoughts, Kaede decided to keep her physical stats as they were for the moment.  Her other attributes would go up by three each for the moment.  That left her with four points.  She decided to leave those for any emergencies.

She still had no idea what the creativity attribute did, but it was something that most likely would help her when she started producing artworks.  Haruhi-sama’s creativity was almost fifty and she was a master.  Keeping her own high wasn’t a bad idea in her mind.

She still had plans for three masteries.  Once Akito-sama decided if she could officially apprentice at her age, Kaede would be able to actually work towards that.  In the meantime, she was learning bits of the other arts of the clan.  Her skill page reflected that.

**Haruno Family Arts (4/10)**

**Novice, Competent, Proficient, Advanced, Expert, Master**

  * **Weaving LV4 18.04%**



**Haruno weavings can be found throughout the Village Hidden in the Leaves.  From the Hokage apartments to the ANBU Headquarters, Haruno weavings are everywhere.**

  * **Woodworking/Carpentry/Joinery LV2 53.59%**



**Haruno woodwork can last for generations.  Chests and tables and even doors made by Harunos can be found throughout the Village Hidden in the Leaves.  One can find them by a small clan symbol etched into the wood.**

  * **Painting LV1 37.27%**



**The most common thought of art practice, Painting is a staple of the Haruno family.  From portraits to landscapes to still-life, the clan’s work can be found all across the Nations.**

  * **Fabrics/Tanning LV1 17.32%**



**Very few remember that the beautiful patterns of kimono and yutaka can be done by hand.  The Haruno clan still uses the oft forgotten methods, making their fabrics worth their weight in gold.**

**Artistic Knowledge**

  * **Weaving LV10 75.44%**



**From wall-hangings to scarves to blankets, a weaver is able to create a product from simple yarn.**

**Passively increases Creativity by 3%**

  * **Woodworking LV1 04.28%**



**Wood can become many things.  From furniture to ink blocks to toys to even windows and doors, woodworkers are able to shape all of these objects.**

She was rather happy with having four of the ten practices listed now.  The low levels, she knew, would stay until she could apprentice officially.  Haruhi-sama had explained that until she was allowed an apprenticeship, she would only be able to learn through watching and basic lectures.

Looking back at the comparison of her and Itachi’s profiles, Kaede wondered how she compared to her clan head.  Akito’s numbers would probably be her base as she would eventually _be_ clan head.  She should probably look at other clan heirs and clan heads to see what their attributes looked like.  She wasn’t sure how many civilian clans there were though.  Kaede also wondered where the Haruno clan figured in that. 

The information on her Haruno Arts led her to believe they were pretty high on the list.  Her lessons thus far covered the Pre-Clan War era.  Next time Akito-sama came for a lesson she would have to ask.

~~~

The next few times she met Itachi they exchanged information on their future professions and their families.  For the first few meetings they kept things rather vague and impersonal.  Eventually Kaede found a good enough reason to ask some more… personal questions.

“Is it as hawd for you?” she asked.  Their continued conversations led to a much higher Speaking level and thus a much easier time talking.

Itachi looked confused.  Kaede nodded towards their… supervision.  Who for today was an Advanced Tanner named Hideki.  Who, like Takino, had some trouble understanding the nonverbal cues.  Hideki didn’t have the excuse of youth like Takino and Michi.  Hideki was actually only five years younger than her Uncle Kazashi.

“Some. Father and Mother understand most of the time,” he offered.

“Tou-san an Ka-chan are the same. Took Ka-chan some time though.”

“Mm. Father took some time himself. Others have the most trouble.”

“Un. Da ones I pend time with are best. Ginta-san is good dough.”  Ginta had agreed to lessons just this past week.  She had only had one so far, but Ginta had understood her better than the younger clan members.  Thus why Akito-sama had picked an older member to try for mentorship.

“He agreed to lessons?”

“Un. Had one so far. He taught me bout diffwent cay he uses.”  She frowned and huffed.  “I don think he wans ta teach me more. I gonna pull heir on ‘im if he don’t in… teventeen days.”

“How long ago was your lesson?”

“Four days.”

“A total of twenty-one. Seems fair. Are you comparing his lessons to Haruhi-sama’s?”

“Tryin na to. Haruhi-sama is gweat. But probly a wittle, yeah.”

Their conversation paused as Akito let her charges out for some time to play.  The loud yells and screams had caught their attention.  Hideki’s as well since he turned to watch the procession.

“Do you know them?” Itachi asked.

“Nu-uh,” she answered.  Kaede was unsurprised that none of the children waved or even looked over at her.  She was getting used to it.  “I went to Akito-sama’s care for a week. Nona dem like me.”

“Mm. Should we change venues?”

Kaede blinked at him.  That was… a strange offer.  From what her parents and others had commented, the Uchiha clan were very insular.  Most of the clan were shocked at the first visit Mikoto and Itachi had made to their compound.

“Would it be diffwent?”

Itachi actually took time to think about it.  A nice gesture even if Kaede was sure he had already thought of it.

“Possibly. We would most likely be inside with Mother. It would be… quieter.”

Kaede giggled a little at his slight sneer.  It was rather loud now that the children were released.  “You’re use’lly gone by now,” she commented.

“Hmm. I am unsure why. Mother is not usually late.”

“Can tinobi loose time?”

“Only if unconscious. I have not heard of other ways,” he commented.

“Did you get inta da Acadamy?” she asked in reference to their first meeting.

“Father said it was denied. At least for two years.”  He did not look happy about that.

“Mm. Sa’tobi mut have a reason,” she offered.

“Un.”

“Unca Kazi says war should end soon. Don need lotsa ‘nobi.”  Itachi jerked and turned to her.  “Wouldja get out b’fore da war ends?”

“Not from what Mina-ji and Shina-ba-chan say, no,” he agreed.  “I think I could take a little less than two years. From what they say, the fighting should die within a year. But war is unpredictable.”

“True,” she nodded.  “But your also heir. No broders eider.”

“Hmm. That’s fair. Protecting the next generation makes sense. I had not thought of that. I do not know of many other heirs.”

“’M not a ‘nobi cause ‘m heir,” she offered.

Itachi blinked.  “I did not know that.”

“Mm.”

“Akito-sama is not directly related to you.”

“Un.”  She pulled on her black hair.  “B’ack hair is rare. Means ‘m next.”

She watched Itachi take a look around the courtyard.  Besides the greying hair of the elders, most of the people they could see had orange, reddish, or blond hair.  Akito was far grayer than her age suggested, but there was some darker base color visible.

“Is black hair really that rare?” he asked.

“Mm. Only two born inta clan at a time. Head and Heir. Akito-sama b’came head thwiteen years ago.”

“How long does a clan head usually last?”

“Mm. Gotta get mastwy ta be head,” she stated.  “Took Akito-sama sixteen years ta get hers.”

“And apprenticeships don’t start until?”

“After five. Dunno when hers tarted.”

“Hm. After nineteen then.”

“Un. Akito-sama isn’t very old.”  At least not compared to Haruhi-sama and other clan elders.

“Mm. How old is Haruhi-sama?”

“Ober fifty,” she shrugged.  The village was younger than Sarutobi-sama, who was around the same age as Haruhi-sama.  “She an Sa’tobi-sama are close.”

Itachi nodded.  “How long do you think it will take you?”

“’pends when dey let me ‘tart,” she shrugged.  “Wanna get weave fiwst. Then Pot-tree. Figuwe I’ll keep oders sort same. Decide thiwd later.”

“How many is common?”

“One,” she stated.  “Not chure what I gotta do ta get from expert ta master dough. Figuwe if I don keep goin I’ll get bored.”

Itachi nodded.  “I am unsure of what shinobi art to specialize in myself.”

“What are dey?”  She knew taijutsu, ninjutsu, weapons, genjutsu, medical, and traps.  Other than those she wasn’t sure.

“The general specializations are taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. Others include weapons, medical, infiltration, intelligence, tracking, hunter, and command positions. Each have their own sub-specializations too. I want to work on one until I enter the Academy,” he explained.

“Mm,” she silently pulled up his profile to look at his attributes.  “Do you wan a men’al or p’y’sical?”  Sometimes she was really happy she met and made friends with Itachi.  He never asked how she knew words and meanings.  Kaede kept to asking shinobi questions though.

“I hadn’t thought of that,” he admitted.  “Mental would be gen, intelligence, command and some medical. Physical would be tai, nin, weapons, tracking, hunter and maybe medical.”

“Med’cal would need shakra?”

“I-”

“It does,” Mikoto’s voice answered.  Sitting next to them she smiled at the two children.  “Sorry I’m late. There was an issue within the compound.”

“Tokay,” Kaede grinned.  “Da ya know more on med’cal?”

“I do. Medical jutsu, or iryou-ninjutsu, required extensive knowledge and perfect chakra control. Without those you can do harm instead of healing,” the Uchiha Lady explained.

“One o’ each,” Kaede told Itachi.

“Ah. Agreed.”

“Hm?” Mikoto hummed.

“We were discussing what specialization I would become,” he answered.

“Be bow’d wit just one,” she added on.

“I see. So you split them?”

“Mental and physical,” Itachi nodded.

“Men’al can go faster for you,” Kaede commented. “Might get more’n one.”

“Ah. The sharingan can help with gen.”

“Kno’n comman is good too.”

“Ah.”

“Keeping a balance of basics is always a good idea,” Mikoto put it.  “I specialized in genjutsu but kept up with taijutsu and some weapons training.”

“Chur good at tai,” Kaede stated.

“Ah. Katas are not hard though.”

“Add a whe’pon,” she shrugged.

“There are plenty of weapons to learn,” Mikoto smiled.  “And I’m sure Shina-ba-chan will help you keep them hidden on your person when the time comes.”

Kaede tilted her head at Mikoto.  Itachi had yet to mention seals or fuinjutsu after all.

Mikoto smiled.  “Shina-chan specialized in a very rare skill called fuinjutsu. She can create storage seals for weapons.”  Kaede nodded slowly.  She thought it would be better than her immediately understanding the new concept.  “Has you jii-san made some of his work disappear?”

“Un!”  She had seen him do that from a distance though.  She hadn’t realized he used chakra.  “Jii-san can use shakra?”

“Most people can to a point,” Mikoto nodded.  “Storage scrolls and such are simple enough for civilians to use.”

“Hm. Can I leawn?”

“I’m not sure where the line is for that. I’ll see if Fugaku knows. We don’t want to break the law after all.”

“Un.”  Cool.  She might still be able to learn some shinobi tricks.

“Hn, Mother?”  Itachi waited until Mikoto’s attention turned to him.  “Maybe Kaede can come to our home?”

“I don’t see why not,” she answered.  “Though for the first few times we will need to be with her, I believe.”

“Can’ta come by maself,” Kaede frowned.

“I see no reason why I cannot take you,” Hideki offered suddenly.  When all three turned their attention to him, the man simply lifted an eyebrow.

“May-bee,” Kaede offered.  She still wasn’t sure if she _liked_ Hideki.  He wasn’t _bad_.  He just… didn’t sit well with her, she supposed.  Something about him seemed off.

~~

Of course she didn’t find out _what_ was off about Hideki until several weeks later.  And she didn’t even figure it out herself.  Kaede was very happy she was not a shinobi in this go.

**Random Event Triggered!**

**Traitor Discovered!**

She felt slightly silly not realizing what was wrong with Hideki.  Granted she still wasn’t sure _how_ he was a traitor.  Or if it was even Hideki that was the traitor.  But she didn’t know see any other possible people.

“Kaede-sama, I believe this is a shortcut,” the dark red haired man stated.

“Mm,” she hummed.  She wasn’t exactly able to say anything against it since he was carrying her.

“Not long now, Kaede-sama,” he tried to sooth.

But her nerves were already tense from the message.  She was happy her usual silence helped her here.  Now all she needed was to find an MP patrol.  Haruhi, Akari, and Naoki had all told her before that if she was ever lost she was to find a member of the military police.

None on the street.

She hit Hideki with Observe to be safe.

**‘Hideki Haruno’**

**Occupation:**?

 **Level:** 21

How helpful.  He was the same level as Akito but younger.  Damn.  Meant he probably had shinobi training.  And she only had one new skill that could help.

**[Chakra Signal] LV5 73.29%**

**Taking chakra and pulsing it out of your body is a basic shinobi skill and often used to send signals and messages to others.**

**Passively increases chakra control by 1%**

Lucky for her, Itachi had taught her how to signal for help.  Specifically the signal _he_ was to use when in danger.  They had gotten permission from Mikoto and Fugaku for her to use it in emergencies.  This she thought counted.

It was a subtle signal too.  One that was more like a wave than a pulse.  Which was why her level was so high with only that skill thus far.  And with her control so high, something her profile added once she gained a chakra skill, she wasn’t worried about messing this up.  Besides, Itachi had had her continually do the signal when he did for training.

She wasn’t surprised that Hideki noticed her chakra change.  But she didn’t make any outward change in her face or body language.  Of course that didn’t stop Hideki from speeding up his gait.  In response she sped her ‘rhythm’ to match his speed like it was an unconscious action.  It was also supposed to help the MPs locate her.

“Hideki-san!” a voice called from an off-shoot road.  “Kaede-chan! Good morning!”

“Ah, Kaito-san,” Hideki smiled a little weakly.

Uchiha Kaito was one of the usual guards that patrolled the areas between the Uchiha and Haruno compounds.  Mikoto had made sure she knew quite a few of the MPs on the route between their homes after the first time she went to their home.

“Hi,” she waved, keeping with her normal behaviors.

“Hi there Kaede-chan. Headed to see Itachi-kun and Mikoto-sama?”

“Un! Tort-cut.”

“Shortcut?”

“Ah, yes. I thought I knew a shortcut in the area,” Hideki laughed.

Kaito nodded, Kaede felt it was more towards her than the man holding her.  “Well, I’m headed back to the compound myself. I’ll walk with you,” he smirked a little.

“How considerate of you,” Hideki responded.

The rest of the trip was silent and uneventful.  Most Uchiha were quiet and Kaito was too.  Hideki seemed a lot tenser than he was before their trip started.  Because she had started, Kaede kept up her chakra signaling.  Luckily they got to the compound before she ran out of chakra.

She wiggled when they crossed the gate, as she usually did.  Hideki put her down and when her feet hit dirt she stopped the signal.  Then she shot off towards Mikoto and Itachi who were heading quickly to them.

“Hideki-san, would you mind coming with me?” Kaito asked rather blandly.

“Kaede,” Mikoto called out.  Kaede responded by dropping to the ground and rolling.  Before she could rise, Mikoto was above her with a kunai in hand.

“Forgive me, Hideki-san, but I wasn’t really asking,” Kaito stated, an edge to his voice that wasn’t there before.

“Itachi, get Kaede behind me,” Mikoto stated.

Kaede lifted her arm towards the woman’s back.  She felt two hands grab her wrist and pull her.  She used her feet to push herself along.  She ignored the sting of rocks biting into her back.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, after she was safely out of Hideki’s sight.

“He didn hurt me,” she told him.  “’naled a’fore we went too far. Said it was a tort-ut. Ka‘to came in time.”

“Good.”

She didn’t see it, but Kaede heard the guards take Hideki away.  Mikoto didn’t let them stay long either, picking them both up and shushining to their home.  No one said anything before Kaito and Fugaku came in.

“Kaede-chan,” Fugaku greeted.  “We do have some questions for you.”

“Un.”

Fugaku’s lips turned up a little.  “When did you realize something was wrong?”

“A’ways,” she stated.  “He ‘eemed off. Didn rust ‘im. Tol Tachi.”

“Which is why you asked to learn the signal?” Mikoto asked.

“It was my idea,” Itachi stated.  “Kaede said she didn’t feel safe. You said to use the signal when I felt something was wrong.”

Mikoto and Fugaku nodded.  They had been pretty accepting of Kaede and Itachi’s friendship.  Kaede suspected they were just happy Itachi had someone of a close age to interact with.  Her own parents were probably similar.  Kaito was writing down everything said.

“Didn know a tort-cut dere,” Kaede added.  Itachi had already given her a bunch of ‘escape routes’ near his home.  “An he got… na ‘cared but…”

“Nervous?” Fugaku offered.

“Un. ‘is shakra was more’n Ka-chan and Tou-san too.”  Which she didn’t actually have any proof of besides the game/purgatory.  But she figured it was a good way to cover her tracks.  “Nat a ‘nobi of da clan dough.”

“You can sense chakra?” Kaito asked.  Kaede shrugged.  It didn’t _feel_ like sensing chakra.  But it could be something like it.

“Was I wong?” she asked.  “’bout ‘im?”

Fugaku shook his head.  “No. Once caught and faced with our interrogators, he told us what he was sent to do. He was wearing a henge of the real Hideki and tasked with kidnapping the Haruno clan heir by Suna as a way of gaining the artisan clan’s profits.”

Hmm.  That would make some sense to the Story she had been a part of as Sakura.  She couldn’t recall ever meeting others of the Haruno clan.  But…

“Woudn’ Akito-sama tell Sa’tobi? Or Haruhi-sama?”

“Unfortunately we don’t know how they planned to move the clan,” Kaito stated.   “We’re working to find out though.”

If Kaede wasn’t actually an adult and had the stupid gaming thing, it was likely that the plan would have worked.  But that also took the belief that _Haruno Kaede_ was always in the Story.

“Ka-chan and Tou-san?”

“Your parents have been informed, as has your Clan Head,” Fugaku stated.  “They were working with us to hopefully find the real Hideki. At the moment we’re keeping you here for safety until we know there are no others hidden in the clan.”

“Mm. ‘leep-o’er?”

Mikoto laughed.  “Yes. You’ll be having a sleep-over tonight.”

The two heirs had another of their silent conversations.

‘Think we can get away with more lessons?’

‘I doubt they will deny us after today.’

‘True. But can we do it legally?’

‘You’re an heir to an important clan, who just survived a kidnapping attempt. I doubt anyone will say anything.’

‘Agreed. But nothing to make me into a shinobi. My clan only has one heir.’

‘Of course. Only things civilian members of shinobi clans learn?’

“’ounds good,” Kaede smiled.

If Fugaku or Mikoto understood their conversation, neither said anything as the made plans for a rotating guard for the night.  All of which would be introduced before dark fell.  Kaito was tasked with the first shift.

~~~

**You have created a new skill subscreen: Chakra Based!**

The new message made sense to Kaede.  With all the little tricks Itachi taught her the beginnings of that night, her skill menu would be really long.  With a subscreen she would be able to minimize the space her screens took up. 

**Chakra Based Skills**

**[Chakra Signal] LV5 93.61%**

**Taking chakra and pulsing it out of your body is a basic shinobi skill and often used to send signals and messages to others.**

**Passively increases chakra control by 1%**

**[Chakra Sensing] LV3 66.60%**

**Chakra is in everything.  Being able to distinguish between chakra types and amounts can ensure a person always knows who or what is around them that could be a threat.**

**Passively increases chakra control by 3%**

**Passively increases wisdom by 1%**

**[Leaf Stick] LV3 89.23%**

**The most basic chakra control exercise, Leaf Sticking allows one to hold small objects to their body with just chakra.**

**Passively increase chakra control by 1%**

**Passively increases vitality by 1%**

**[Genjutsu Disruption] LV1 14.37%**

**The ability to warp ones chakra to disrupt person-based genjutsu can keep one from falling prey to the simplest shinobi tricks.**

**Disrupts: E-Rank Genjutsu**

**Passively increases chakra control by 1%**

**Passively increase intelligence by 1%**

She wasn’t really worried about her chakra control.  With the amount of Wisdom she had it really wasn’t something she felt needed attention.  But the other benefits were interesting.  The vitality increase was the first such benefit she had gotten.  As that was the only benefit for vitality, she would probably be working on that one quite a bit.  Signaling had already helped save her so it would get more practice.

Sensing would be an awesome skill to grow.  While technically not a skill in the category she and Itachi had agreed to, it was one they decided could be acceptable for her to know.  As she already had some ability to tell chakra in people, they both figured her knowing and getting better at such wouldn’t be a surprise.  It was going in the MP files anyways so why not make it a truth?

The genjutsu skill was a little… strange.  Unlike the signals she had to rapidly change her chakra flow in several ways to get it to work correctly.  The benefits weren’t really that great but it could be a useful skill for when Sakura was born and working towards her career.  Kaede decided to work on it when she could.

There were other things she could legally learn, but by the point they got all of these new ones it was late and decided to stop for the night.  It also meant the guards weren’t constantly twitching as they used chakra.

Kaede had also gained a level due to all the practice.  She was still waiting for the Event to end.  Hopefully she would gain some experience from that too.  Getting to level 10 would mean a new perk point after all.

“How did you really know?” Itachi asked into the darkness.

Kaede took some time to think about her response.  Besides his future as a undercover agent of the Leaf, excluding all she had seen during her purgatory, Itachi was probably the first friend she had made.  She kind of wanted to keep that friendship.  It had honestly been a lifeline in this new time for her.  Without the Uchiha, Kaede probably wouldn’t felt so comfortable showing her intelligence and rapid improvements.

 _Party?_ She asked in her mind.

**Would you like to create a Party?**

**This will cause all experience gained to be split between all party members.**

**Y/N**

Silently touching the yes, she waited for a moment before continuing her thoughts.  _Add Uchiha Itachi_.

**Request sent.**

Of course she had already figured since Itachi had inhaled sharply.  She waited for him to warp his chakra to disrupt genjutsu before she spoke.

“I’ve had it since I was born,” she commented.  It was true as far as she was concerned.  Just… born as Haruno Kaede.

**Request Accepted!**

**Party Member Uchiha Itachi has been added.**

“Profile,” she whispered into the darkness.  Followed by Itachi a few seconds later.

**Haruno Kaede**

**Occupation:** Family Heir **(+25% Reputation gain with other Heirs)**

 **Level:** 9 **EXP to LV: 29.18%**

**HP: 154.00  HPR: 4.50/min**

**CP: 71.94     CPR: 7.59/min**

**Chakra Control: 203.68**

**Strength: 10 (+0.6) = 10.6**

**Vitality: 10 (+0.1) = 10.1**

**Dexterity: 10 (+0.3) = 10.3**

**Intelligence: 13 (+10.98) = 23.98**

**Wisdom: 13 (+8.35) = 21.35**

**Charisma: 13**

**Creativity: 13 (+5.02) = 18.03**

**Party Members:** Uchiha Itachi (LV14)

 **(** 14 **Attribute Points Available)**

 **(** 0 **Perk Points)**

 **Status: [** Locked Chakra Coils **] -90% Chakra,** Civilian **; [** Bookworm **] +50% EXP gain from Skill Books, +0.5 to Wisdom per LV, +0.5 to Intelligence per LV; [** Haruno Heir **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Haruno Art Practices **], +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **]; [** Artistic **] +25% EXP gain towards [** Arts **], +0.5 to Intelligence per LV, +10% to Wisdom, Adds** Creativity **to Attributes, +0.5 to Creativity per LV**

Mentally tapping the new ‘party’ information on her profile, she wasn’t too surprised to have Itachi’s profile pull up, or the added information it contained from the last time she had viewed it.

**Uchiha Itachi**

**Occupation:** Family Heir **(+25% Reputation gain with other Heirs)**

 **Level:** 14 **EXP to LV: 46.17%**

**HP: 232.50  HPR: 7.00/min**

**CP: 640.95   CPR: 13.25/min**

**Chakra Control: 351.00**

**Strength: 15 (+2.55) = 17.55**

**Vitality: 15 (+2.4) = 17.4**

**Dexterity: 19 (+4.56) = 23.56**

**Intelligence: 18 (+12.75) = 30.75**

**Wisdom: 11 (+28.78) = 39.78**

**Charisma: 6**

**(** 28 **Attribute Points)**

 **Status: [** Genii **] +0.5 Intelligence per LV, +2 Wisdom per LV; [** Uchiha Heir **] +10% to Intelligence, +15% to Dexterity, +25% EXP gain towards [** Uchiha Techniques **]; [** Dormant Sharingan **] +5% to Intelligence, +10% to Strength, +25% EXP gain towards any [** Jutsu **]; [** Loyal **] Will do anything for those Honored or higher**

Now she could see the breakdown of his points and the experience and recovery rates.  And he now had a bunch of free attribute points.

“The points help,” she whispered.  “Watch mine.”  Then she pulled up her own points and boosted her thirteen base attributes to fifteen.  It wasn’t a big difference; a slight increase to her chakra pool, control and recovery, and the rise of her attributes.  It left her with six points left to spend.  She thought about using them but she was only one level away from the perk point.

“It works?”

“From everything I can see,” she agreed.  “I haven’t been able to check all of it.”  Like the physical attributes effect on her art skills.

“Hmm.”  Kaede simply watched as Itachi went through the screens.

**Strength – A physical attribute used to determine damage given and one’s health pool.**

**Vitality – A physical attribute used to determine one’s health pool.**

**Dexterity – A physical attribute used to determine speed.**

**Intelligence – A mental attribute used to determine one’s chakra pool and**

**Wisdom – A mental attribute used to determine chakra control and chakra recovery.**

**Charisma – A mental attribute that determines reputation gain rate.**

She was rather surprised that he already had skills in his menu, but then realized the benefits added to his attributes couldn’t have been from just his statuses.  She was pleased when she gained some experience for them though.  Her level experience went up to 73.59%.  She was closer to that perk point!

“Strange,” he commented.

“Mm. Helpful though,” she reminded him.

“I can use these?” he asked, waving towards his profile.

“Un. I try to keep the bases the same by men’al or p’y’sical. Tens and fif’eens right now. Chur c’ar’sma is low,” she offered.

“True.”  He played around for a bit with his points before settling on twenty for a base for his physical and tried to make eighteen his mental base.  “Not enough,” he groaned when he could only go to sixteen for charisma.  Instead he lowered the physical attributes to nineteen so they were even.  “I have one left.”

“Mm. I save ‘em,” she offered.

“You have an extra one.”

“Un. Ta help wit’ art.”

“Ah.”

Looking at his new numbers, Kaede hoped she would be able to catch up to his numbers.  She must have made a sound because Itachi looked towards her.  “Chur bet’er den mine. N’ver catch up.”

She froze for a split second as Itachi let out his first laugh around her.  She had never heard him make any laughter like sound.  To be fair she rarely saw him _show_ emotion.  It was an amazing experience.

“S’ou’d do dat more of’en,” she smiled.

“Mm,” he smiled.  “I’m older than you, De-chan. And a shinobi.”

“’in-t’aining,’” she reminded him with her own smile.

“How does the party work?”

“Dunno. Ne’er done it a’fore.”  She watched as Itachi registered the new information.  Apparently he hadn’t realized how much she trusted him.  “We’ll ‘ave ta find out.”

“Ah.”

~~~

She wasn’t surprised by the level gain the next day.  Or the end of the event.  Kaede was glad that Itachi now knew her secret… err one of them.  The biggest one at least.  She still wasn’t sure about the reliving-game thing.

**Event Ended**

**Traitor has been captured and in custody for over 24 hours.**

**Event Experience Gained**

**Bonus Experience Gained for: Traitor caught before escape attempt; Real Hideki found before his death; Uchiha Clan/Konoha relations have risen**

**Raised Reputation with Uchiha clan, Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku**

**Acquaintanceship with Uchiha Kaito**

**Level Up!**

She smiled all throughout lunch.  Her parents had shown up early before breakfast and were spending the day with Mikoto going over the tricks Kaede had been taught to protect herself.  Akari didn’t seem too happy with the ninja tricks until Mikoto had explained they were only teaching her things civilian kids of shinobi clans knew.  Naoki just seemed glad her friendship with Itachi had saved her life.

While the adults chatted in the tea room, Itachi showed her a few more tricks.  Mostly physical things as they had focused on chakra ones last night.  He taught her how to run and move more efficiently.  Then Itachi had their guard hold her in the air to show her how to escape.  She was rather surprised at how much she enjoyed the lessons.

“Let’s take a break,” Itachi smiled.

They had already agreed to wait till later to look through their profiles and statuses.  Later apparently meant now.  Itachi seemed pretty intrigued by the game thing.  The guard seemed rather pleased at the break.  Poor guy probably didn’t feel comfortable ‘hurting’ the heir who had just escaped a kidnapping attempt.

Fugaku had let them know the Hokage and Akito would probably come by later.  The clan head was currently dealing with the fallout of the impersonator and attempted kidnapping.  Kaede wondered if they would set some sort of guard for all heirs.  It would certainly help with Hinata in the future.  The clan head actually seemed to be rather upbeat compared to her previous experiences with him.

Kaede and Itachi sat down with their backs to the adults.  As they were the only ones able to see the screens they weren’t too worried about the adults asking questions.  They were both considered genii and any strangeness could be attributed to their age.  Kaede was pretty sure if the two of them stayed friends they would end up with a secret language of sorts.

With his level up, Itachi had a new perk point to spend too.  So Kaede figured she’d show him what she planned on doing.

Tapping the Genii status in the perk menu was easy.  Watching the increase in her profile was awesome.  Her Intelligence leapt to being just above Itachi’s while her Wisdom was only hundredths below Itachi’s.

She couldn’t keep the fist pump to herself.  Itachi couldn’t help but laugh at her.  It wasn’t a vocal thing but his shaking shoulders let her know he found it amusing.  Kaede didn’t want him to stop but she did bump her shoulder against his.  She could tell the parents were watching them but they didn’t say anything to them.

**1 Perk Point Available**

**Chakra Affinity – Pyro**

**Chakra Affinity – Electro**

**Chakra Affinity – Hydro**

**Chakra Affinity – Aero**

**Chakra Affinity - Geo**

**Personality – Quiet and Solemn**

**Personality – Good Listener**

**Personality – Bookworm**

**Personality – Logical**

**Body Type – Statuesque**

**Body Type – Flexible**

**Body Type – Rock Solid**

**Body Type – Fleet-Footed**

**Other – Kinesthetic Learner**

**Other – Book Smart**

**Other – Team Player**

**Other – Religious**

**Profession – Medic**

**Profession – Weaponmaster**

**Profession – Taijutsu Specialist**

**Profession – Infiltration Specialist**

**Profession – Ninjutsu Specialist**

**Profession – Tracker**

**Profession – Hunter-Nin**

**Profession – Trap Specialist**

**Profession – Genjutsu Specialist**

She wasn’t shocked that his list was longer.  With chakra more options would be available to Itachi than her.  The list was a lot longer and while a part of her hated the limits she had, Kaede knew she didn’t want to be a shinobi in this life.  Itachi could have that all to himself.

“Chakra affinities,” Itachi hummed.  “What about professions?”

“Mm, ‘pends.”  Not sure if it would work, Kaede tried to tap the different profession statuses.  It didn’t work but Itachi figured out what she was doing and tapped them himself.

**Medic**

**_+25% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Iryo-ninjutsu **], +25% to Control, +15% to Wisdom**_

**Weaponmaster**

**_+25% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Weaponsmastery **], +15% to Dexterity, +10% to Strength**_

**Taijutsu Specialist**

**_+25% EXP gain towards all [_ ** _Taijutsu **], +15% to Vitality, +10% to Strength**_

**Infiltration Specialist**

**_+35% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Stealth **], +15% to Intelligence, +10% to Charisma**_

**Ninjutsu Specialist**

**_+25% EXP gain towards any [_ ** _Jutsu **], +15% to Chakra Pool, +15% to Vitality**_

**Tracker**

**_+50% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Tracking **], +15% to Intelligence, +10% to Vitality**_

**Hunter-Nin**

**_+25% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Tracking **], +15% towards Intelligence, +10% to Strength**_

**Trap Specialist**

**_+25% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Traps **], +15% to Dexterity, +10% to Strength**_

**Genjutsu Specialist**

**_+25% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Genjutsu **], +15% to Wisdom, +10% to Strength**_

It didn’t seem to help him decide.  Personally they didn’t help her any either.  His lowest attribute was Charisma but only one had a Charisma bonus.  And she really couldn’t see Itachi as an infiltrator.  Not while also being heir.  Itachi was just too known to pull it off without chakra, which Kaede thought would be the point.

Genjutsu Specialist, Tracker, and Hunter-Nin were the only ones with a mix of mental and physical benefits.  While Genjutsu went with what Kaede knew of ‘Story Mode Itachi’ it didn’t sound like her friend’s main interest.  Kaede wasn’t really surprised when Itachi pulled up all the definitions of the statuses.

**Kinesthetic Learner**

**_+25% EXP gain towards [_ ** _Taijutsu **] and [** Weaponsmastery **], +10% to Strength**_

**Book Smart**

**_+25% EXP gain from Skill Books_ **

**Team Player**

**_+25% EXP per Team Member_ **

**Religious**

**_Deity Connection_ **

**…**

**Statuesque**

**_+15% to Strength, +10% to Vitality_ **

**Flexible**

**_+15% to Dexterity, +10% to Strength_ **

**Rock Solid**

**_+15% to Vitality, +10% to Strength_ **

**Fleet-Footed**

**_+10% to Dexterity, +5 to Speed_ **

To be honest, the only interesting looking one was the Religious status.  Though maybe the Team Player one deserved some thought.  It would have either, the holder outstrip the rest of the team or give the team as much experience.  She wasn’t much surprised when Itachi turned to his profile.  She figured he was looking at where he needed the benefits.  The lowest of his attributes were Charisma and Vitality.  Strength was only hundredths higher than his Vitality, which leant towards either Statuesque or Rock Solid.  But again neither sounded like Itachi.

Kinesthetic Learner and Book Smart sounded most like Itachi to her, but was the how these statuses were supposed to work?  Were they to pick ones to help enhance their traits or give them new ones?

“Cou’d wait,” she offered when he didn’t seem to make a decision.

“Ah.”  His finger rose to the Religious.  “Know anything?”

“Nuh-uh,” she told him.

“Hmm. Wait,” he nodded.  “I’ll save it.”  She smiled when her friend grinned at her.  Well his version of a grin.

Before they could get too distracted, Kaede pulled up her attributes and added some of her hoarded points.  She set her physical ones to have a base of twelve and the mental ones a base of eighteen.  It made her even with Itachi for Charisma which gave her a rather needless sense of accomplishment that just made Itachi laugh at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As said in chapter one, this is as far as my brain took this bunny before going 'why are you doing this?' So if you enjoyed it, click kudos for me please~


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